1. Michael Caroll

Michael Caroll is one English lottery winner who needed just four years to get back to a backbreaking job. The self-proclaimed “King of Chavs” went on a spending spree that ended only when his greedy hands reached the bottom of the sack.

Caroll won the jackpot in 2002 and immediately became the spoiled kid of tabloid media. Besides giving a part of the money to family, this bloke thrashed his luck by indulging in drugs, sports cars, and other stuff simple folks can only dream.

2010 was the year when Caroll officially declared bankruptcy. Last time we checked, he was happy packing biscuits and earning the minimum wage. His incredible journey proved once more that “easy come easy go” is not just an expression.

Below is a sample of the rockstar life Michael Caroll flaunted after winning the lottery.

2. Jack Whittaker

A curse is an explanation even reasonable people would use to describe what happened to lottery legend Jack Whittaker.

Andrew Jackson “Jack” Whittaker, Jr. wrote history on Christmas Day 20002 after claiming a whopping $315 million at the Powerball multi-state lottery. That might sound as a fairytale come true for a 55-year-old, but it wasn’t.

Luck probably ran out for Whittaker the moment he cashed in the prize. Although pledging a good percent of the earnings to charities, the West Virginian did not avoid the trials and tribulations that typically come attached to so much money.

Whittaker’s worse experience was not having scandalous amounts of cash stolen from his vehicle twice. Not even the many quarrels with the law and casino owners broke the man’s spirit.

What put Whittaker down was that both his daughter and granddaughter died in mysterious circumstances, most likely related to the lavishing lifestyles that his money favored. Failing to see a purpose in life Whittaker resorted to mindless spending, ending up broke by 2008.

3. Abraham Shakespeare

When your name is Shakespeare, you can bet a drama is coming your way.

However, Abraham Shakespeare probably had no idea about his more famous double from 16th century England. The man that won $30 million in the Florida lottery in 2006 was illiterate and probably had a hard time reading aloud the numbers.

Abraham joins the impressive number of lottery winners that wished they torn the ticket. Three years after claiming the prize, he ended up face down under a thick concrete slab.

One of the worst things about winning the lottery is that you become a public figure in your community and attract unwanted attention. Dorice Donegan “Dee Dee” Moore befriended Shakespeare with the declared purpose of helping him write a book.

The well-paid collaboration evolved to romance and concluded with murder. The woman received a lifetime in jail for her horrific act. As for the lottery money – all vanished and without bringing the promised happiness.

4. Etta May Urquhart

Old folks winning the lottery might promise rational spending and no drama.

The worse they can do is give away some bucks to the Bingo gathering they attend each Saturday morning. The incredible case of lottery winner Etta May Urquhart proves us all wrong.

The 76-year-old was set to have the perfect retirement with the $51 million she won in the Californian Mega Million. Forget about strangers acting like sharks at the sight of blood. This time a family member spotted the opportunity.

Ronnie Lee Orender accompanied her mother as she went to sign the check. With emotions running high, Ronnie offered to write his name down and the take the pressure off Etta’s shoulders.

The photos taken at the ceremony might indicate a happy family, savoring its moment of luck. Don’t let that fool you!

The feud that followed proved once more that money could turn anyone into a selfish monster. Orender kept most of the money for himself. Parents should be good with crumbs, right?

The family set to live the rest of their days in luxury now has to pay extravagant lawyer fees to support their never-ending legal battles.

5. Amanda Clayton

You might say that wasting $1 million is change compared to what you’ve seen so far.

Greed was the force that first kicked the domino pieces for Amanda Clayton and led to her shameful demise. The women that won the Michigan lottery in 2011 decided it doesn’t hurt to keep receiving food support from the government.

The welfare fraud of $5000 most likely had to do with the women turning into a junkie and digging all the way through her bank account to support her addiction. Winning the lotteries sends most drifting on a road of no return, and the 25-year-old overdosed and died in under one year since winning the jackpot.

Don’t judge Amanda mildly. She was not the only one to suffer here. A one-year-old would have had a great start in life if only the mother were wise enough to keep it all together.

6. William “Bud” Post

“I was much happier when I was broke!” said William “Bud” Post, another victim of the so-called lottery curse.

You might have got accustomed to the fact that most lottery winners end up broke and in deep suffering. The transition from a winning ticket with $16 million written in bold to $1 million in debt remains baffling.

William Post first graced the front pages when his brother hired a hitman to kill him. That doesn’t make Post a victim here.

After winning the lottery in 1988, the troubled man simply could not keep himself out of trouble. Numerous shooting incidents paired with mindless waste led him down a spiral of unhappiness and estrangement from his family.

William “Bud” Post lived his last years on social support and under constant pressure from the debt he would never get to pay.

7. Urooj Khan

That’s the face of happy man. Unfortunately, that happiness lasted only a day and triggered one of the worst family feuds in lottery history.

Forget about years of waiting and designing the perfect crime. No, this man’s wife went to business the moment Khan took possession of the $1 million prize.

Cyanide poisoning leads to a painful death, especially when you know you did not enjoy a single penny from the cash that recently saturated your bank account. The death of Urooj Khan bitterly divided the family who went on each other like two rival packs of hyenas.

You might say that seeking justice was the goal here. We come and offer the mental image of throwing a one million jump ball. The fierce legal battles that ensued kept the money for the bank to enjoy.

8. Alex and Rhoda Toth

The worst was when they spent the little money they had back in 1990 on a lottery ticket. The Toths should have grown suspicious the moment the winning combination granted payments of $666,666 a year for a total of 20 years.

Other classic mistakes include omitting to pay taxes and failing to get a good grip of the way they shared the fortune with the rest of the family. The couple went as far as suing their son who became violent as he attempted to extort more money.

Years of erosion left the Toths bank account empty, and the two saw no option than to embrace a life of crime. From growing marijuana to dancing with the IRS, the two enjoyed their last years together in a trailer, most likely missing the fully furnished mansion they once owned.

9. Janite Lee

Being over-generous grants you good points only in the afterlife. Down on Earth, it leads you directly to bankruptcy.

South Korean immigrant and lottery winner Janite Lee did what most other lucky people would consider a monstrosity. She became a socialite, seeking pleasure from funding various ventures and flaunting herself at fancy dinner parties.

Lee busted an $18 million paycheck in under eight years. The highpoint of her shopping spree was giving money to the Bill Clinton – Al Gore campaign.

Janite Lee did not stop until she ended up with just $700 to her name. The bad news was that she had $2.5 million written as debt.

Will she play the lottery again? We can only assume this former lottery winner felt extremely uncomfortable not to finance Hillary Clinton in the past election.

10. Billy Bob Harrell

Switching between low-paying jobs with three children to feed makes winning the jackpot a dream, right?

For unlucky Billy Bob Harrell, the $31 million he won on Texas Lotto proved not enough to make him feel contempt. Only two years since winning, Harrell shocked his family and an entire nation by committing suicide.

One would say there are many methods to make depression go away once you have eight figures waiting for you at every bank office. Harrell was unable to deal with the pressure of having family and strangers ask for money all the time.

His failed marriage hammered down the last nail into his coffin. It was a painful one. The multi-millionaire used a shotgun and left behind a family to both mourn and fight for what remained from the prize.

We will give you a hint – Harrell joined the gang and spent most of it on meaningless stuff.

11. Ibi Roncailoli

Take a good look at the photo. For Ibi Roncaioli and her husband Joseph, this was arguably the last time they were happy. What followed was too shocking not to include on the list.

Ibi Roncailoli changed for the worse once she acknowledged that the $5 million prize equated the money her regular job would harvest in a lifetime. The woman exchanged hard working for gambling, boozing, and messing her life beyond repair.

What followed was her family’s way of saying ‘enough.’ Joseph saw no option than to put his wife out of her misery. The court ruled that the man killed Ibi by encouraging her to take an overdose of painkillers. He received a seven-year sentence.

You probably imagine that little remained from the lottery money. Paying for what was a very expensive lawsuit took care of the rest.

12. Callie Rogers

Take a 16-year-old living in foster care and give her £1.9 million. Life used poor Callie Rogers for a cruel and painful experiment.

The youngest lottery winner in British Lotto history went through hell and back only to come to terms with the idea that having excess money is bad. Less than a year was enough for Callie to blow it all and even attempt suicide.

Callie lived the dream. She had plastic surgeons and tattoo artists make her body more appealing and then took the time to ruin it with drugs. Partying hard and buying her way into relationships continued until her bank account squeezed out the last penny.

The worst thing about all this is that the unfortunate girl had no one around to tell her when to stop. Nevertheless, we are happy to say Callie managed to change her life around. Ten years since that terrible year, all her energy goes into taking care of her three children.

13. Lara and Roger Griffiths

Like any other couple, Lara and Roger Griffith had high hopes from life. When the £1.8 million decided to knock on their doors, they just could not contain their shopping appetite.

We would love to get into details about how the couple managed to lose the money. The point is the prize was too small for the lavishing lifestyle they wanted.

With Roger acquiring a taste for bad investments, it was only a matter of time before they hit rock bottom. Arguably, the worst purchase was Roger attempting to become a rock star and paying £25,000 for a recording session.

Incredibly, the two had very well paid jobs before the lottery madness kicked in. However, we all know that getting some tan on the French Riviera always beats the long hours at the office.

14. Martyn and Kay Tott

What can be more agonizing than holding the winning lottery ticket and knowing it is worthless?

Martyn and Kay Tott did not fall victim to a prank or the bankruptcy of the lottery company. No, their trashed dreams are a direct result of not paying attention to a fundamental rule of the game.

Picking the right numbers has such a tiny chance of happening most players lose interest in the tickets. Urban legends of how winners lost their tickets are not rare.

Some blame the dog for eating it. As for the Tott family, they were foolish enough to claim the prize past the expiry date. Their ignorance cost them little over £3 million.

The case was unreal even in the world of lottery jinx, and the debate went on to divide the nation. Even PM at that time Tony Blair made a bid for the lottery company to go past the heart-breaking rule.

It was all pointless. Martyn filed one lawsuit after another only to become bankrupt as a result. He now earns a living by selling his incredible story to magazines.

15. Sharon Tirabassi

While such a flow of cash into the economy is a good thing, ending up barehanded like Sharon Tirabassi is tragic. The 35-year-old single mother from Hamilton, Ontario gave life to her wildest fantasies.

Custom cars and lavishing exotic trips might seem like cliché, but they are what every player spoiled by chance ends up throwing money at. Tirabassi woke up from her frivolous take on life when she had less than $1 million.

By that time, she was already in serious financial trouble. Even for a seasoned accountant, it’s hard getting track of the millions. People like Tirabassi climb aboard the Debt Train without even noticing.

You can extract some content thinking that her six children avoided the fallout. Their mother did the minimum and made some deposits for them to enjoy past the age of 26.

16. David Lee Edwards

Imagine being stuck in hospice care and sharing with your fellow roommates the story of how you blew a $27 million jackpot.

David Lee Edwards lived “the dream.” The former convict won the Powerball lottery in 2001 and woke up to the harsh reality we pictured only 12 years after.

Edwards went over the line when he bought a LearJet plane to fly him from his hometown in Kentucky to his Florida estate. Drugs were just behind the corner to finish the job.

Edward’s periplus imitating rich people ended in 2006. By that time he had lost everything. There is nothing more earthshaking than seeing the daughter write on her Facebook page “there is no MONEY left!”